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Archduke Maximilian's Visit to England

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with their children

Archduke Maximilian's Visit to England

In 1856, Maximilian travelled through Germany, Belgium, and Holland and then stayed in France for some time as guest of the Emperor Napoleon at Saint Cloud.

In 1857, Maximilian travelled to the Rhine, Lombardy, Central Italy, and finally to England.

In June, 1857, the Archduke Maximilian arrived at Windsor Castle and met the English royal family for the first time and then went to Belgium to visit King Leopold I.

Archduke Maximilian was engaged to Princess Charlotte of Belgium and was therefore warmly welcomed as a future relative. Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha found Maximilian charming were convinced that the young Austrian Archduke and Charlotte would have a happy future together.

In letters, Queen Victoria found the Archduke to be to be good looking, very amiable, charming, clever, kind, and so English in his ways. The Queen’s Consort, Albert, wrote to his uncle Charlotte’s father the King of Belgium wishing him joy, for having found such a good husband for his daughter.

The Queen’s Consort, Prince Albert went to Belgium for the wedding of Archduke Maximilian and Princess Charlotte and wrote to Queen Victoria mentioning that Charlotte's whole being had been unfolded by the love that is kindled in her heart and went on to say that he had never seen such a rapid change in the space of a year.
Charlotte appears to be happy and devoted to her husband with her whole soul, and eager to make herself worthy of her present position.

On the day of the wedding a family fete was held at Windsor Castle.

The Queen wrote to her husband mentioning that the younger children were to have a half-holiday and were to celebrate the Archduke's and the Archduchess's wedding and mentioned that wine had been ordered for the servants and grog for the sailors, to do the same.